Yesterday, at a Congressional hearing I attended in Washington, D.C., Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) expressed deep concern about the safety of processed chicken and pet treats imported from China.
As many of you know, I have a petition on Change.org (with co-petitioners Bettina Elias Siegel and Barbara Kowalcyk) titled “Congress: Keep Chinese Chicken Out of Our Schools and Supermarkets,” that currently has over 323,000 signatures. We’ve been working closely with Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) to ensure that chicken processed in China is not served to students in the National School Lunch Program and that China cannot eventually ship its own slaughtered poultry to this country.
In his opening remarks, Senator Brown, who chairs the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, set the tone for the hearing by stating, “Americans want to know where their foods come from and want to make sure that everything is being done to keep it safe.” With the FDA recently reporting 5,600 pet illnesses, 1,000 dog deaths and three human illnesses tied to Chinese-made pet jerky treats, and the USDA reaffirming last August that China’s poultry processing system is equivalent to that of the United States, I’m glad to see more legislators investigating the safety of foods imported from China.
Panelists at the hearing were Dr. Daniel L. Engeljohn of the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) of the USDA; Tracey Forfa, J.D., of the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the FDA; Shaun Kennedy of the Food System Institute, LLC and a professor in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine at the University of Minnesota; Patty Lovera of Food and Water Watch; and Christopher D’Urso, a student and consumer advocate.
Here are some of the highlights from yesterday’s hearing:
China is getting closer to exporting Chinese-processed American, Canadian and Chilean-raised chicken to the U.S. China has provided USDA with a list of four plants it has certified as eligible to export processed chicken to the U.S. according to Dr. Engeljohn. Before any processed chicken can be exported to the U.S., an export health certificate must demonstrate that the poultry is sourced from the US, Canada or Chile and that the poultry is cooked to a proper temperature, among other things. Once the certificate is approved by USDA’s FSIS and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, China will then be able to determine when to begin shipping processed poultry products from the plants to the U.S. Dr. Englejohn informed the panel that such a certificate, in draft form, was submitted by China to FSIS earlier this month, which means that Chinese-processed chicken in this country may soon be a reality.
Processed chicken from China that is further processed or repacked in the U.S. would definitely not include information on its label that the product was processed in China. Dr. Engeljohn said that because processed poultry from China must be cooked, FSIS believes that is it unlikely that the product would be repacked or further processed in the U.S. and therefore it would have a label indicating that it was processed in China. But that may not be the case. If a company incorporates cooked, processed chicken into products like soups, raviolis and sauces, then under current regulations the label on the finished product would not have to disclose the Chinese processing.
FSIS is currently working closely with China on slaughtered poultry equivalency approval and they are close to meeting U.S. standards. According to Dr. Engeljohn, the domestic system for poultry slaughter in China is very different than the system in the U.S. FSIS is in the process of working with China to create a system that meets the U.S. standard. He also stated that China has been making “corrective measures” in their slaughtered poultry system. This means that China could soon be sending its own slaughtered poultry to this country. But in my opinion and that of my co-petitioners, this development raises two concerns. First, even if the slaughtering plants are ultimately approved by FSIS, there will be no on-site inspection to ensure ongoing compliance with our food safety standards. Second, chickens raised in China’s highly polluted environment could pose a potential health threat apart from the adequacy of China’s slaughtering practices.
Rep. Smith hammered on the theme of whether the Chinese government was providing trustworthy documentation to the USDA on their processing facilities and manufacturing processes. Smith pointed out China’s rampant corruption and its government’s penchant for “misinformation, lying and deceit.” Dr. Engeljohn countered with information about USDA’s on-site audits in China, testing of imported Chinese processed chicken for drugs and pathogens, re-inspection procedures at U.S. ports of entry and USDA’s ability to quickly respond to press reports with inspections. Apparently, the drug and pathogen testing is done for “new countries.” In other words, the testing may occur when China starts exporting processed chicken, but won’t continue indefinitely. Also, it was noted that China learns of an on-site inspection about two months in advance. That’s because it takes 60 days to process Chinese visas for the inspection team.
An outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in the United States might be linked to pet food produced in China. Shaun Kennedy acknowledged the possible link, although it’s still being investigated.
FDA has performed over 1,000 tests on suspect Chinese pet jerky treats. According to FDA’s Tracey Forfa, the tests so far have been inconclusive.
Rep. Smith, who co-chairs the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, grilled Forfa about whether the labeling of so-called “Made in the USA” pet products was accurate. Forfa could not assure that dog treats labeled “Made in the USA” did not contain ingredients from other countries, including China.
Finally, I was not reassured by Dr. Engeljohn’s statement that “Yes, we are confident that (China is) maintaining the (poultry processing facility) inspection system we designed to meet our requirements.” After learning that the USDA relied on documentation provided by China to determine equivalency and will continue to rely on Chinese documentation (or “evidence” as Dr. Engeljohn called it) to monitor compliance, I feel even more skeptical. As Rep. Smith pointed out, China’s records could be easily falsified, and unlike the U.S., there’s no threat of prosecution to those who tamper with records.
NANCY F. HUEHNERGARTH CONSULTING 
Pingback: Some Promising Developments re: Chinese-Processed Chicken - The Lunch Tray
We don’t need foreign food in this country we don’t and shouldn’t have to take the risk of their food not meeting safety standards. It is stupidity at It’s best when you agree to buy food you can’t guarantee is safe for citizens. We produce bought to feed this country quit this stupidity. Someone had to be getting paid off to do something like this.
We don’t need ANY more imports from China especially FOOD! BOYCOTT ALL CHICKEN!!! The USDA doesn’t keep us safe as it is! We don’t know what’s in the meat we are already getting!
To be safe avoid eating meat
I just want to know who’s bright idea it was that taking Canadian, Chilean and American raised chickens, shipping them to China to be processed, and then importing them BACK to the U.S. is somehow better and more cost effective than just taking the chickens and processing them right here. Sure the wages in China are inhumanely cheap, but what about the cost of shipping the meat overseas and then shipping it right back? There is a cost here and you cannot tell me that it is cheaper to have meat travel thousands of miles across the ocean TWICE, than it is to load up the chickens onto a truck and driving a few hundred miles to the plant, then driven across the Canadian/US border. The distance to Chile from the US is about the same as the distance to China. I’d trust Chile more than China, but that’s just my opinion.
Anyone understand the terms enabling within the 12 step program? That’s what the U.S. is one Giant enabler and were forced into it by the fiction officials and the United Nations.
Of course people are being bought off, indirectly or otherwise.
Indeed and our government is NOT protecting us and they are paid with OUR tax money
So tell me again why I can’t get medications, prescription or over the counter, from Canada?
Big pharmaceutical companies have paid your public servants off to make it illegal. My Insurance company pays $240+ for a Rx that sells in Canada for $7.00. So what do you think. I know a pharmaceutical Rep that clears $750,000. a year in income, So need anything else be said?
I try not to buy anything MADE IN CHINA… but it is so hard. There are lot of things we use in US, unfortunately imported from China. Never Ever buy products made in China for Children, animals and definitely FOOD! I’m so mad at China for their Cruelty to Animals and total bazar towards wild life (Barbarians), I ask everybody to boycott China till they will start act like Humans! We have enough sources to produce healthy food, we need to support our farmers, we need to create more jobs for our people, who actually the Best Humans on our Planet to compare to rest of the World! Viva USA: best food, best people, best life!!!
China has a total disregard for all life including their citizens
AGREE!! DO NOT BUY ANYTHING…UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY…COMING FROM CHINA! BRING THOSE JOBS BACK TO THE USA AND LET THE FDA INSPECT AS PREVIOUSLY DONE. THAT WOULD EMPLOY THOUSANDS RIGHT HERE IN AMERICA!! STOP SUPPORTING SLAVE LABOR!
What a waste of time. China has proven time and again that they do not closely monitor food processing/imports for people or pets. It makes me sick to even think about it. I will continue to examine labels and if there is any doubt, I won’t buy. Keep up the good work ladies!
Check out Zaycon Foods for good chicken. Less to worry about unlike Tyson
Thanks for the referral
We all need to understand why we are receiving food from other countries. Your government is in on the NWO agenda to depopulate the world, and that this action is all part of the plan to slowly kill you off so to not let you be aware of what they are doing. I’m sure you’ve heard of putting the frog in the cold kettle of water and slowly turning up the fire. Well people. Guess who the frog is.
Don’t bring that NWO crap here…nobody wants to hear that.
?
Are you afraid of the truth, Steve?
I agree totally. This also applies to any foreign products such as autos, electronics, etc. It all began on January 1, 1994 with NAFTA under Bill Clinton. It was opposed by candidate Ross Perot who said if NAFTA passes, it will be followed by a Giant Sucking Sound of Americans companies leaving for cheap labor.
I wish I could get my elderly relatives to hear this. They just won’t listen
It is not in Americans best interest to except Chinese chicken or any other edibles. As being safe! They have proven time and again there lack of oversight in processing food for consumption in the U S.
That would be accept.
Keep all of CHINA alllll of CHINA in CHINA… We here in the US have enough people to work and create our own chicken.. Also our pets also don’t need CHINA for chicken..
RIGHT ON ! ! ! ! ! !
I am very sure water from China will be used in the processing which will in and of it’s self contaminate the chicken. How will this be addressed????? Will China import water from the USA ???????????
Exactly!
Our government agencies are NOT protecting us
Exactly they are bought and paid for by Monsanto, and big pharmaceutical companies. Read Skinny Bitch very insightful.
I would like to know why this is being done? Is it that the USA doesn’t have people who are skilled enough to do this work? Or is that the Tyson,Purdue and other companies that supply these products can get it done cheaper in China? After all we don’t need any jobs in the good old USA.
Also I would like to know that Obama and his family will be eating this chicken like the rest of us.
I agree with all of that but you know the “elite” won’t use, purchase, or consume things of this nature. A pity how our country is turning into pacifists.
I am so with you, Allen. Yes, we all know it’s mucho cheaper to do it over there. And why give Americans jobs??? As you said, we don’t need any. Money always rules over the health of people. I’m sick of going in stores and seeing MADE IN CHINA!!! I hate their products! If it’s made in China, it stays on the shelf. I hardly shop Wallymart, all their produce comes from China, and passing on the -ahem- savings; thus the affordability I suppose for us jobless Americans. (rolls eyes). Congress works for We The People, not Oh geez, let’s give china a chance to slowly poison us further. ugh!
Good for you for boycotting Walmart and all things made in China. Apart from all the health-safety concerns, there are political ones. The Chinese have been cruelly occupying Tibet for over 60 years. When they give the Tibetans back their country, I might consider buying their cheap crap, but certainly not their food!
iM A PRODUCE CLERK IN WALMART. Only one product we have in produce comes from china, its ginger. All the rest are from usa, especially this time of year..and in winter we use mexico for tomatoes and further down guatamala and Honduras for mellons and such. but mostly we have California and florida grown when we can and its in season. WE put up labels of the country of the produce with the prices so people can see where their food is coming from. I know for a fact only ginger comes from china and nothing else…..
Follow the money!
This all part of the agenda of the government to slowly depopulate the world. Orders from the NWO. We people need to keep in our minds that the U.S. is NOT on your side and guard against them.
Why import the chicken ? What does this do to our US poultry producers and processors? What this would be doing is taking money out of their hands .The US poultry producers and processors are paying taxes to the US. China is not. Can’t we get back to being a country that produces its own food ?!
Check mate. US citizens lose again. Sure China is complying with all USDA standards. Remember lead paint, how about radiation from Japan nuclear melt down. I feel so good my government is here to help me.
The politicians are all paid off by Chinese “Lobbiests” to do what they want and get the votes they need. The politicians are the ones who gave these criminals a name ( Lobbiest ) so they could accept the bribes openly. It must be nice to be in a “club” where you can make your own laws and profit from them…besides the fact that you can vote yourself a raise in pay!!
I do not want to have anything whatsoever with any food product that has in any way whatsoever been in China, at all. They put poison in baby formula for their own babies. Why would we think they would be cautious enough to be trusted with our food? No way, no how. I want to know, regardless of how many processes it has been through. Why can’t we create jobs here?
Why on earth are we (uh, the government) not supporting USA chicken (price, of course). This is disgusting, especially with all the publicity regarding pet products? I stopped buying those years ago and wouldn’t dream of letting my 2- or 4-legged family members eat any of it.
After the problems with pet treats and other foods, I would be very leery of buying any Chinese chicken produced there and processed here. There are also problems with seafood grown under unsanitary circumstances and other questionable foods, I would not now or in the future trust any Chinese food products and I want to know where the chicken was raised and slaughtered.
I would not want to serve my family ANYTHING produced or processed in China. I find it interesting that even toothpaste is suspect, because it is difficult to find out where it is made. We seem to have enough problems with our own companies placing contaminated food in our markets. It is really asking for trouble shipping food from China whether it ends up in our schools or in our homes.
Agreed! Labels have disappeared in the stores so we don’t even know where produce or meat came from. We need those labeled as well as products treated with antibiotics, growth hormones, GMOs, pesticides, percentage of PUS cells in the milk, gawd-knows-what, etc, as they have become “ingredients”, and we as consumers have a right to know what we are buying and where it came from! Chicken from China?! Bird flu – hello? Anybody remember? We can’t trust the USDA to bother to watch out for our health when they aren’t anyway! No more imports from China! Bring manufacturing jobs back to the US! I’d rather pay more for something well-made than a piece of crap that someone made and received shamefully low wages for making, while the rich, powerful elite Chinese leaders and family at the top are buying up property across the US and Australia… http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-04-03/chinese-are-buying-large-chunks-land-across-america-and-zillow-now-enabling-it
If this goes through I will only eat Chicken if I know the local source it comes from. This is rediculous!
I don’t even have confidence in the facilities that are here in the united states.Atleast they are in the u.s. though.Frankly I don’t see the point of this.I also don’t understand the recent news that poultry plants in the u.s. want to speed up the process,which just further endangers the people eating it.Faster to me means more contamination,more animal cruelty.I haven’t been aware of any poultry shortages.Enough of the garbage from china is here already!
They had poison in their dog food shipped to USA, why would we want to feed their food products to our school children.
This is another form of genocide KEEP YOUR TAINTED FOOD TO POISON YOUR OWN PEOPLE.
I don’t buy any food items from China, keep in mind that that country cooks and eats dogs and cats. If the chicken is cooked then canned or frozen it could actually be any light colored meat. The US government allows China to ship frozen fish to the US and sells it cheaper than US fisheries along with the pond raised catfish from china that is raised on sewage. The fish from china is helping to put out of business the folks in some of the Southern states that raise catfish in ponds because the clean fish are sold for a higher price that the garbage from China. The bags of frozen fish from China has a stamp on it as to where it came from but you have to look on the bottom of the bags very close to see it which I believe was done deliberately, because when a person is in a hurry they don’t examine a bag of frozen food to closely.
Why Does the U.S. need to import food for China in the First Place? It’s ludicrous
No, I do NOT want ANY food products from China. Not for me, not for my family & not for our animals!
Sadly what we citizens want is not important to our government. This country is going to downhill very quickly. The agencies that are suppose to protect us are NOT. What can ordinary citizens do???????????????????????? How can we protect our children from all this ???????????????????????????
It is very sad. What can we do?? Impeach the person responsible for this destruction, and Vote in someone who, um, ACTUALLY LOVES THIS COUNTRY. If enough passive people actually speak up and demand accountability and demand our politicians realize they work for WE THE PEOPLE, we can take our country back. I just pray this happens before it is too late for our children and grandchildren to experience this great country that those before us fought and died for. As for this problem, my family will be boycotting chicken altogether if China gets the ok to start supplying this part of our food. Everyone needs to. We can’t wait for illnesses and deaths to start happening before speaking up about this. We, as a country, must learn to be proactive.
Reblogged this on autisticaplanet blogs and commented:
I don’t know about you, but I want our native food sources like chicken to stay here in the U.S. We have outsourced so much in the past 20 years.
The effects of NAFTA should be enough proof along with 2 wars that we can’t afford to take more jobs away from this country and risk our health.
Chickity China the Chinese chicken
You have a drumstick and your brain stops tickin’
Sorry. Couldn’t resist.
I’ve been thinking the exact same thing since I first read this headline a few months back! Someone had to say it …
They poison their own infants. Who can trust them?
Clearly someone is being paid off here. Anyone with reasonable intelligence knows China cares very little about the impact on the health of US consumers, two legged or four legged. As a government they are highly corrupt and dishonest. All parents with school-age children should go to their school board meetings and raise hell if they start serving chicken from unknown or Chinese suppliers. If I had school age children, I would either send a lunch prepared at home or instruct my children to not eat any processed chicken. If I wanted to eat Chinese chicken I would move there. Ask yourself, what is your childs health worth?
I do NOT trust China’s reaffirmation that their standards are equivalent to the U.S.
To touch on the pollution in China’s environment. That’s one of the reasons so many U.S. companies have went there, along with labor cost.
Our (U.S.) food production is bad enough.
No chicken meat from China please.
USA don’t need their poison meat.
USA raise more than enough chicken meat for every families and for our children in schools.
In addition to the health concerns, why are we accelerating the export of American jobs to China? Have we lost our minds?
When are we going to have a law that requires all products sold in the US to indicate every state and country as well as every company that has had any contact with that product? Why is it such a secret? We have a right to know!
Guess it time to start raising my own chickens. It would seem that there is not enough intelligence in all of Washington D C to stop importing things from China that can harm us, Everything from toys to sheetrock.. WTH this country can’t produce safe chicken.
Sounds like the poultry will be more well-traveled than most Americans (without jobs) can afford – at least initially it seems we will be shipping the poultry to them to process and return? That’s bad enough, since processing will be done in sub-standard conditions and with local water, etc. as part of the processing. I concur with the concerns once they start processing their own poultry for export – do we never learn?!?!?!?!?
I say end trade with China now, bring Apple and GM and G-S and the millions of jobs lost in the last decade home . . . NOW!
Bringing home the jobs with the many corporations that left because of corporate taxes would be a hugh boon to the economy of the US!!
I DO NOT even want too buy ANYTHING from China, let alone EAT the food that comes from there. I only feel sorry for the poor chickens!! MJZ@
Let me tell you, these people are NOT sanitary. They do NOT have the same standards of cleanliness that Americans have and expect. They live with their animals and they fertilize with human feces. There is no way I would eat any food processed in China/Asia. I have quit buying canned pineapple and mandarin oranges and I will simply quit buying any chicken products too just as I have certain types of fish! Gag! Notify your state representatives as soon as you can: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/
I won’t be eating any chicken anytime soon.
The people of the USA don’t need food of any sort from China!
If the USA doesn’t have enough chicken to sell to our people, then tell the EPA and other government people to authorize more chicken ranches instead of shutting down our ranches because they cause pollution.
All the foods and most products made in China are inferior to home grown USA products.
China doesn’t care what kind of extender they add to foods for humans or pets, just so they can get a higher price for their products.
I will NOT eat anything from China or other Asian countries.
There are very few items “Made in China” that I will purchase
Let China keep their garbage at home
I would contact the major producers of Chicken (Perdue, Tyson) for the major Supermarket Chains, and ask them to go on record that their products are not being processed in China. If they can’t or won’ provide the information, boycott their products.
this is the craziest idea I have ever heard. This is a nightmare just waiting to happen. Nothing from China is ever what it seems to be. Corners cut, chemicals added unfit for any consumption by anyone or animal. Why would we even need to do this? Why send our chicken to China for processing just to send it back. Ever step added to the process of meat adds to the ever increasing chances of something going wrong and with meat its deadly.
Why can’t congress see that is bad business to do business with a country that hates us. This is almost as stupid as doing business with the Taliban.
It is just wrong to get our food from other countries that is not safe. Also, We need to keep jobs in the chicken industry here in the USA. Why are we so eager to feed our children and elderly the diseased and mishandled chicken??? Who in the world thinks this is a good idea????? I’m appauled this is even being considered. I’ve stopped using pet treats made from CHINA CHICKEN because i value my pet. Ive also stopped eating Tyson Chicken. IF more of us stop supporting Tyson chicken we can show them we want SAFE USA chicken, not unsafe China Chicken.
Letting the Chinese process our food is just so wrong. If the Chinese meet USDA standards then USDA standards are woefully low. NO NO NO Congress. You eat it.
The members of Congress, the employees of the FDA and the USDA and our President and his family, will not be eating this chicken. THIS CHICKEN IS FOR YOU !!!
FDA is owned and run by Monsanto. Read Skinny Bitch (book) very informative on how Monsanto has bought this country into ruin all for the Almighty dollar
There are plenty of American chickens raised by American farmers. Not only do we not need Chinese chicken we DONT WANT it!!! The Chinese already poisoned our pets with bad pet food and treats. We will not stand for their lead tainted germ filled dirty meat!!! If need be don’t send our beautiful American children to school in boycott of chicken in the cafeteria.
I am sick and tired of not only our food but our jobs going over to China. Thank goodness I don’t eat chicken. I have seen pictures of dead chicken from China and how they clean them and it certainly has turned my stomach. They clean them in dirty pans and filthy water! It’s time to stop the madness. Instead of talking about taking back our country, how about bring back our jobs!
There are plenty of American chickens raised by American farmers. Not only do we not need Chinese chicken we DONT WANT it!!! The Chinese already poisoned our pets with bad pet food and treats. We will not stand for their lead tainted germ filled dirty meat!!! If need be don’t send our beautiful American children to school in boycott of the commie chicken in the cafeteria.
This must stop
If all jobs are going to China, who’s going to buy. The US can’t keep feeding people here in the states that don’t have jobs. Why can’t you take care of people here in the states instead of other countries. We need work here!!!!! No more food from China!!!! If you are getting kick-backs from this, shame on you. How can you put money before our country? Don’t you make enough money at your job? Why don’t you try to live on what some of us do!!!
Politicians should have limited terms, limited income, and no retirement off our backs
Here’s a novel idea….feed the idiot’s in Washington this stuff. Quit giving them the “good” stuff & make them start living with the poor. It should be made into law that Any & All in a leadership role in the United States, will, for a period of no less than 3 months out of every 18 of their maximum 52 months in office, live as & next to the lowest class of citizen ( that is to say, eat, sleep, work, beg, dress, without any luxuries not found with the lowest class of citizen at this present time). And this will be enforced by the US Marines, with a minimum of 5 yrs in a federal work camp prison ( first offense), second offense will be death by hanging.
We have to start holding our so called leaders accountable. All of them!!
Congress -on both sides is a self serving, criminal enterprise.
Yes solution; Limited terms, limited income, no retirement off our backs. Make them the public servants they are meant to be not elitist
Boycot Chinese chicken
Please stand strong Representative Smith, Senator Brown, Representative Pallone and Senators Menendez and Booker. Don’t compromise on safe food for America!
Amen!
Please don’t do this..
This is ridiculous! I cannot believe they think this acceptable!? This supposed system is absolutely asinine! I will work harder and pay more for local organic produce and local grass fed meat. I’m so sick of the government regulating what we can and can’t consume. They are not looking out for our best interest, they are looking for the largest profit!
Yes! Again FDA our watchdog is owned and run by Monsanto. Read book Skinny Bitch. Very informative on how our government agencies are bought and paid for.
Regular boned chicken breast (family pack) is $1.99 a pound, Organic boned chicken breast (family pack) is $7.49 a pound. I GUESS THE YOKE’S ON US !!
Shop trader Joe’s or travel I to areas where you find farm co-op that makes food affordable.
China now owns the worlds largest pork processing/grower company(Smithfield Foods) and is the worlds largest pork supplier. China already processes fish from Alaskan waters for U.S. companies. There are major U.S. fast food companies attempting to turn a profit in China but cannot due to some dish made from sheep entrails imported from Australia and New Zealand coupled with the low wages of Chinese workers. These four plants could possibly help those companies turn a profit due to lower cost. China is currently experiencing a problem with food grains being raised on contaminated soils. These contaminants are appearing in the milled products from these grains. Flour, corn meal, etc. is used in breading of chicken products. China has a long way to go to meet the old USDA and U.S. Health and Good Manufacturing Practices. Under todays standards, I am not so sure. A few years ago, the Indiana State Police had to start stopping small food transport trucks, many going to Asian restaurants, because they were not refrigerated and clearly unsanitary. Since Indiana borders Ohio, Sen. Brown should be clearly aware of this. Not only do I not buy any food or health products that have anything to do with China, I don’t go near Asian restaurants. The mentality of the people in the food industry today is very different than those of 50 years ago, but due to “ag gag laws” in various states and the federal “food disparagement law”, the information available to the public is limited due to a few overzealous people where the matter should have been handled with libel or slander laws, not a limitation of the public rights to know.
Agreed
Simply say NO to China. Melamine for rice, killer pet treats, suspect foods already on store shelves (especially fish, where I’ve gotten sick before and found out China was the origin) tells me they’ve broken the 3 strikes rule. We need tougher labeling on all foods, especially those from suspect countries like China and from genetics-modified ‘frankenfood’ here in the US.
We all agree that this is an absurd practice that our government has implemented. My question to our so called leaders is What Are We Going To Do About It? I’m tired of the rhetoric and passing the buck. Where were our state representatives when these decisions were made? Why were they not informing us of these practices? We elect and pay these people to keep us safe but their performances are substandard! Let your government know how you feel! Let’s stop being a nation of complacent zombies!! This is not just about our pocketbooks, it’s about the health of our children and grandchildren!! And I for one love my children and grandchildren and want to protect them from harm! So go to your elected officials and tell them, no, demand that they do a better job for which they are paid handsomely!!!
I am sorry, but with China’s past track record on food processed in China I do not have much trust in their food processing ability. We do not need our food processed in China. Keep the jobs at home.
Sounds like China has leverage like a loan shark and we have few choices…either stop being dependent on the shark by paying our loans OR forced to prostitute his chicken. All the guns in America won’t feed us if we’ve forgotten how to feed ourselves. Hug a farmer today. Call a politician. And start learning Chinese.
New taxes for any American company utilizing foreign labor or resources for food. New taxes on all food imports. Local should be cheapest.
Nope FIRE all government legislators and offices. Reduce their income to reasonable PayrollDhs for a public servant, restrictions terms, no retirement. We would have plenty of funds to be self sufficient and personally become an isolationist nation again
Limited terms for politicians, and restricted income, with NO retirement plan. That’s how we get rid of the garbage
FDA is bought and paid for by Monsanto. Read book Skinny Bitch. Very informative on how our food is managed and watched over
GMO’s are just as bad again read Skinny Bitch (book) all of the European countries that have government subsidized Health care have mad GMO’s (genetically modified food) illegal to grow in their countries. Start reading these crops are treated with D624(?)agent orange from the Vietnam War. Be informed
Read Skinny Bitch don’t by the products from corporations that have bought and paid for the government agencies. Money talks we have been trusting and naive of our government. No More. Limited terms, limited income, no retirement off out backs. That’s what you do! Become active
LIMITED. TERMS FOR POLITICIANS, limited income, and no retirement. Make them public servants not elitists.
We don’t need to buy food from a country that eats cats and dogs. Think about the torture those animals go through before they die. I don’t want to eat someone’s pet !!!!!! Just once do what the American people want and that is not to import food from China !!! We have plenty of chickens in this country who also do not live a wonderful life but it is better than China !!!
Our government pays farmers to keep their field’s fallow(not plant them) to keep the price of food high!
China’s environmental standards are very lax, and groundwater contains cadmium, lead, arsenic, and other harmful chemicals. Even if chicken processing standards are the same, the chickens consume the contaminated water and food.
China is also selling farm raised Salmon. They have the chickens caged above the Salmon So all of their feces first into the water with the salmon. The Salmon are raised on chicken feces
Fall into the water
None of what I’ve read here sounds like good news! What the heck is wrong with our Congress that they feel it’s safe to import chicken–regardless of where it originated–that a Communist country (that does not like us, btw) has had opportunity to contaminate?
Let’s remember all the pet food recalls over the years that were discovered to have been caused by foodstuffs from China. Anything for consumption shouild NEVER go to, nor come here, from China.
Why would our FDA and Congress TRUST such an evil regime when everyone KNOWS the Chinese govt does not respect life at all; and is not motivated to ensure safe products for consumption by Americans of any species.
Sorry this is so long, but I have two more issues to present, if I may. 1.) Consumer Reports magazine has exposed that the FDA is very lax on their labeling of food products, so words like “organic,” “natural,” and “free range,” aren’t necessarily guarantees that those products are truly organic, natural, nor free range. There are FAR too many loopholes and shady dealings in the FDA business for my comfort;
2.) Doesn’t anyone remember that the cleanliness conditions in China for livestock and even humans, are not ideal for the health of either. There’s always some sort of ‘bird flu’ or other dangerous and highly-infectious medical epidemic going on there, so I don’t trust that China is capable of maintaining appropriate cleanliness standards in their processing plants. And let’s also remember that it is HIGHLY unlikely anyone from the FDA has done any physical, on site visits to China’s facilities. They’re merely TRUSTING whatever China’s representatives are telling them.
I don’t know about everyone else, but to me, all of this just SCREAMS, “OUR GOVERNMENT IS COLLUDING WITH CHINA TO COMMIT MASS MURDER OF AMERICANS!” That’s right, I don’t think any of this is accidental. I think it’s been planned in advance and it’s intentional!
No, I’m not claiming this is a conspiracy theory, but rather it’s OBVIOUS to anyone who has been paying attention to what’s been going on over the past 10 years or so.
Notice all the Dollarstores and big box stores littered with cheap quality chinese crap that quickly end up in landfills. Now they want to take the jobs from farmers here! The food should be local and inspected for us to be safe. It seems all our avenues and our health will be under the control of China. Shrimp are fed their shit then we eat them? Fda was involved then. Live animals shouldnt even be permitted in their destructive world. We need to STOP this now. You read the chinese here now want to have dog/horse/cat meat.
They won’t tell you the food products are from China because they mask it with “packaged in usa”. Look at the NAME for their huge pork production “Smithfield” – an insult using names from n. America ancestors. We need to rid the funding/investors for moneygrubbing Corps like Monsanto (also responsible for pesticides destroying bee colonies).They are evil and need to be exposed. We can do better – theres a reason why China is trying to weaken our country.
Exactomundo
We have governments penalizing people for flying because of the increase in our carbon footprint, and here we have THE GOVERNMENT unnecessarily shipping chickens to another country to be processed, then shipping them back again! What penalty is the U.S. government going to pay for that giant carbon footprint? And what about the welfare of the birds? Are they killed in their home countries first, or sent alive to China – these are the very same people who are putting live animals such as tiny turtles into keyrings for children that then die a very slow death, with no food and no oxygen? And we TRUST these people? I’m so sick of the greed of the people in government – as long as they can get it done cheaper abroad, thereby putting more money into the pockets of lobbyists and themselves, they don’t care how much the American people suffer! We still have a 20% unemployment rate in the U.S., if you count all the people that the government doesn’t count – such as the unemployed who are no longer able to claim unemployment! THEY could have those poultry processing jobs!
Vote out your government officials, set time limits on them being in office, and take away their retirement’s we have the tools use them. Public servants are just that not elitist. Giving up is not the answer. Get rid of lobbyist make them illegal to approach a public servant. That should start the ball rolling.
Dr. Englejohn really needs to eat some Chinese Jerky–immediately
Sounds right to me. Make it mid afternoon snack for as long as he is pushing China in our nose
Most of this chicken from china will be used by the fast food places in all their chicken offerings. They apparently don’t have to list country of origin anywhere. A great way to poison our children and low income people who relie on fast food for affordable meals.
Also school lunches which is an issue when your a parent who is paticular
All government can do is pass laws that make the import of foreign foods into the US either illegal or subject to very intense scrutiny by US agencies tasked with making sure food is safe. Unfortunately, in this country we don’t even approve enough spending on these agencies to guarantee that the food produced in the good old US of A is fit for human consumption, much less being able to police the swill that would come from China. Our politicians are paid large sums of money by the large food processors to do a couple of things: relax meat and foodstuff inspections here at home, and find a way to get the cheap, unsanitary foreign junk into the country so they can re-sell it to us at a huge profit (think of Walmart’s marketing model here). Keep an eye on your politician who represents you. Don’t listen to what he says, instead, watch how he votes. You may be unpleasantly surprised. Actions always speak louder than words!
Agreed, not only do they get kickbacks, we are paying exhoribant moneys in income to these government representatives with a substantial retirement package. Time to reevaluate the term public servant and make them legislators and public servants definition the same.
Many thanks for your efforts and the update. Keep it coming, although almost anything our govt is involved with (Hello FDA and USDA) is crap. I’ll fend for myself.
I will consider becoming a vegetarian if the US starts importing processed meats from China. Does anyone remember the Melamine poisoned baby formula, made and sold in China, that killed precious babies? What about the Chinese dog treats that killed pets in the US? We import almost everything from China – LET’S NOT IMPORT FOOD FROM CHINA!